China's President Xi Jinping (front R) walks with Russia's President Vladimir Putin during a welcoming ceremony at the Xijiao State Guesthouse ahead of the fourth Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) summit in Shanghai on May 20, 2014.(AFP Photo / Carlos Barria)

Moscow and Beijing have rejected the imposition of sanctions as political tools and condemned attempts at “encouraging and financing” regime changes in other countries in a joint statement released during President Putin’s official visit to China.

Having faced economic sanctions and threats of more of to come from the West, Russia has turned to the East, seeking to boost business ties in a friendlier environment. An impressive package of deals on energy, business and infrastructure has already been signed in Shanghai.

More is yet to come, judging by the title of the joint statement by Beijing and Moscow, which promises “a new stage in full-scale partnership and strategic relations.”

Hakim Bey: Don't just survive while waiting for someone's revolution to clear your head
Napoleon Bonaparte: The world suffers a lot, not because of the violence of bad people, but because of the silence of good people!

For me and some others on this board, no. For you and some others, it is. Our definitions are different, lets move on.

You do realize that the world tends to agree with me, reading from the news coming out today and yesterday.

If the board members write a school paper their peers and professors won't agree with them, nor will the RCMP agree with it; that they aren't allies.

But if you insist, I can live with 'China and Russia are not allies'.

Hakim Bey: Don't just survive while waiting for someone's revolution to clear your head
Napoleon Bonaparte: The world suffers a lot, not because of the violence of bad people, but because of the silence of good people!

Interests:I am an engineer by profession. My interests include astronomy, aviation, world development and music.

Location:Canada

Posted 20 May 2014 - 12:42 PM

You do realize that the world tends to agree with me, reading from the news coming out today and yesterday

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Firstly, please direct me to a poll that asks the world whether they think China and Russia are "allies". It would be interesting especially to see what the Chinese and Russian views on this are especially since barely more than half the Russian people look on China favourably to begin with (from the few polls I could find about generic impressions).

Secondly, most of the world has a short term memory and consumes media grandiose at face value. They are not the actual policy planners and strategists behind the doors who do not forget whats happened in the past (Sino-Soviet border war, nuclear posturing and Sino - Soviet split in general) and who actually call the shots and decide the contingency plans and response to all eventualities. Geopolitics is not a static affair. China and Russia have immediate and long term goals today and many overlap...but they both harbour suspicions and mistrust....and the fact of the matter is two massive countries can never be truly "allies".

They tried once in the 50s...and that ended in complete acrimony and accusations of betrayal and outright hostility on the Ussuri river. China even invaded Vietnam (albeit withdrew quickly) because they wanted to punish them for being so close to the USSR and also for overthrowing the pro-PRC regime in Cambodia (who gave Mao's murderous rampages a run for his money)

Its apparent to everyone that the Chinese have so far been very cool to Russia's takeover of South Ossetia and Crimea for example. They dont like the precedent it sets for many of China's own seccesionist movements (the whole basis of the Russian takeover being a referendum for Crimean independence - anathema to Chinese policy in Tibet and Xinjiang Uighur). Nor do they like the feathers it ruffled in China's neighbourhood like Kazakhstan which has a large Russian population of its own (and who are in majority along a lot of the border areas with Russia - similar to the Ukrainian situation, though thankfully they havent so far been antagonised as much as the Ukrainian Russians were).

If China and Russia sign a defense pact similar to NATO, then I will agree with you. Till they don't, I dont see them as allies. They are too complicated, large and have too much history between them (some good, lots bad) to label them as allies in such a short timeframe of simple mutual cooperation.

History is ever the great chastiser when there is talk of the largest countries of an era being "allies".

Russian-Pakistan-China alliance will be the game changing alliance of the 21st Century.

Yes, indeed it is true.

The key to this is of course, the quality of the member states toward the alliance. And it's not about any one particular member, rather all. Where Russia and China recognize the significance of the role that Pakistan can play in this alliance.

I also believe that Pakistan's military leadership ought to be at the core of this alliance. As we cannot and should leave it to those inept and illiterate politicians to work with Russia and China. They inevitably will commit blunders and would ruin the whole thing.

........ when the first drop of a Munafiq's blood drops in the Kaa'bah ........

........ the Black Flags Army shall rise from Khurasan and commence its earth rumbling march toward Damishque. Any force that tries to come in its path, shall be destroyed with ruthless destruction. Awaiting, upon reaching Damishque, the safron and beads of pearls and the Black Turban that shall lead the Salah of Fajr .........

........ the stones and trees of Lud shall cry out to the Black Flags and tell them of the Munafiqs, Yahuds and Kuffar that are hiding behind them, to come and kill them. That day shall be the day of reckoning, the day of justice, the day when no power shall hold and unfair advantage. The battle shall be fought and won by way of faith ........

The key to this is of course, the quality of the member states toward the alliance. And it's not about any one particular member, rather all. Where Russia and China recognize the significance of the role that Pakistan can play in this alliance.

I also believe that Pakistan's military leadership ought to be at the core of this alliance. As we cannot and should leave it to those inept and illiterate politicians to work with Russia and China. They inevitably will commit blunders and would ruin the whole thing.